Ron, Jesse, I'm renaming this competition papa don't take no
mess because it's just the patriarchs of the families
going at it in our final round of this competition where
we're sending you back to your home forges to recreate
this iconic weapon from history, the Inigo
Montoya-inspired rapier.
You know the guy.
You killed my father.
Prepare to forge, all right.
Good luck bladesmiths.
We'll see you in four days.
RON: I am almost positive that they're
going to do some kind of a flex test, so I'm choosing ADCR-V2.
That should help with that.
The hilt is one of the more complex pieces here.
I'm actually going to use some really old wrought iron.
One of the really nice things about wrought iron
is that it's beautiful.
My plan is to [inaudible] so you can see
the lines around this thing.
I'm working on my normalization.
This is make or break.
If it works well, I'm all set.
I grab hold of it with another pair of tongs and go for it.
I am very pleased right now to have, at the end of day one,
a quenched blade ready for temper.
So far I'm on track.
JESSE: After coming out of the temper,
I noticed that there was just a slight little yaw in the edge.
[inaudible] take all of that out and grind it today.
Next, I'm going to move on to the hilt.
I'm planning on forging all the parts
for the hilt out of an old wagon wheel
that my grandfather used to own.
So I'm flipping it over, and I ended up getting a crack.
Got a small crack that's developed in the piece
that I was forging for my pommel.
I'm going to try to see if I can get that crack out of it.
Luckily took one more good, hot welded heat,
and we're good to go.
I feel better today than I did on day one.
End of day two, I'm ready to go put my feet up.
RON: Well, my goal is to actually
get done with the blade today.
It leaves me two days to work on all of the embellishments.
I may get into doing some of the hilt work today.
I want to see how it goes with the grinding.
If I over grind, I could completely destroy the blade.
There's a reason that it took Inigo Montoya's father
a year to make this sword.
There are so many pieces to this.
But for Jessica, I'm going to get this done in four days.
JESSE: I got a little bit behind where I would like to be.
I'm going to try to make up a little time.
I'm going to go ahead and forge out my knuckle-bow,
and hopefully by lunchtime when you start fabricating the hilt.
This hilt's been pretty demanding.
There's about six different pieces here.
We spent a lot of time trying to make sure everything
was dialed in.
End of day three, my hilt all came together pretty nicely.
Just pulled it out of the etch.
Everything looks good.
Tomorrow will just be fit and finish.
RON: Last day, I have to get done, well, everything.
Now I can focus on getting that really complex
handle and hilt all together.
I'm forging out these bigger rings that
are on the side of the hand.
That's eventually going to become
this really complex basket.
Not perfect, but for day four, I'll take it.
Regardless of the outcome on this thing,
I've had a blast making this.
Win, lose, or draw, it's just been so much fun.
Good job.
Thank you.
All right, bladesmiths, my name is Douglas Marcaida.
I will kill the dummies.
They are prepared to die.
To find out what kind of lethal damage your weapons will do,
I will take your rapiers and deliver
some thrusts and slashes on this ballistics dummy.
Ron, you're up first. You ready for this?
Absolutely.
Let's do it.
[music playing]
All right, Ron, let's talk about your rapier here.
It is a little bit on the heavier side,
but it's wieldable.
And with a nice swish of a slash, it cuts deeply.
Overall, sir, your rapier, it will kill.
Good job.
Thank you
All right, Jesse, it's your turn.
You ready, sir?
Yes, sir.
Let's do this.
JESSE: I'm extremely nervous.
I immediately start questioning my heat treat.
And, you know, just a million things go through your head.
[music playing]
All right, Jesse, let's talk about your blade here.
It's about the same weight.
The thrusts penetrate all the way.
And slash, well, deep cuts.
Overall, sir, your blade will kill.
Thank you, sir.
It's what I came to hear.
All right, gentlemen, it's time for the strength test.
And yes, I am going to torture your blades.
Ron, you're up first.
All right.
If you haven't guessed already, it's a flex test.
RON: I'm feeling a little nervous coming into this test.
If I left any uneven spots, that could impact
the flexibility of that blade.
Good job, man.
Good job.
OK, Ron, that's a brutal test, and you did really well.
If you look at your blade, there's
the slightest of bend in one direction, barely noticeable.
The dimensions of the guard are spot on,
and it's definitely a strong blade.
Nicely done.
Thank you very much.
Jesse, you ready for this?
About as nervous as a long-tailed
cat in a room full of rocking chairs, but go ahead.
[laughs]
First things, Jesse, the guard's at the proper scale.
Really nicely done.
The issue is you've picked a bit of a bend.
Still a completely functional, usable blade.
Well done.
Thank you.
Bladesmiths, this is the sharpness test.
This is all about how sharp your blade is
and what it does to this dummy.
Ron, you're up first.
You ready for this?
Yes, sir.
DOUG: Let's do this.
[music playing]
All right, Ron, let's talk about your edge here.
This cut through the clothing and right into the foam.
And, of course, when thrusting, it goes deep.
Overall, sir, it will cut.
Thank you.
All right, Jesse, it's your turn, sir.
You ready? - Yes, sir.
DOUG: Let's do this.
[music playing]
All right, Jesse, I can still see
the little bend it took at the tip,
but the edges are razor sharp.
On the thrust, it goes deep.
It will cut.
Thank you, sir.
Ron, Jesse, you guys have turned
in some really quality blades.
This is a difficult decision for us to make,
and our "Forged in Fire" champion is Ron.
Congratulations.
You are the new "Forged in Fire" champion.
Jesse, please surrender your blade.
JESSE: Not being the "Forged in Fire"
champion is kind of not what I was looking for,
but I lost to a heck of a competitor
and a heck of a blade. - Well done.
Thank you.
I'm very proud of the blade I turned in,
but if I made this blade again, I
would have took a little more time on my heat treat,
made sure I had it perfect.
Being able to start this journey with my son was pretty awesome.
And I may not be the "Forged in Fire" champion,
but I think I represented my family well.
Ron, congratulations.
You are the "Forged in Fire" champion.
You've led your family to this position,
and you'll be taking home a check for $10,000.
Good job, brother.
RON: From beginning to end, this has been a great experience.
So the Hardman house is getting a "Forged in Fire"
championship.